Towns and even city centres face being left as “postal deserts” after it emerged that more than a third of post offices within the troubled TG Jones chain are closing.
So far this year 36 branches within the high street chain formerly known as WH Smith have closed and a further 34 are set to close by early 2027, according to Post Office records analysed by the Guardian.
TG Jones was bought and renamed by Modella last year. Before the private equity group’s restructure won approval from creditors in July, the chain operated 180 post offices and it had been feared that as many as 60 could be closed under the shake-up.
Up to 150 of the 450 stores acquired by Modella are expected to shut, about 65 of which have already closed and at least another 46 are to cease operating early next year. This total of 110 announced closures include the 70 containing post offices.
The larger-than-expected wave of TG Jones branch closures follows an announcement in the summer that 52 post offices will close within Morrisons Daily convenience stores this year, some of which are close to the TG Jones sites. The move forms part of a wider plan by Morrisons to close 100 loss-making small stores.
The raft of closures means that towns such as Stevenage in Hertfordshire, Bracknell in Berkshire and Orpington in Greater London, and some smaller cities including Hull and York are each losing two post offices in a matter of months. Telford’s last one is due to close in January.
The majority of these lost sites replaced former crown post offices, the now almost entirely closed network of more than 100 directly operated large branches, which offered a full suite of services such as identity and passport checks, driving licence and banking operations.
Some regions such as Essex, the West Midlands, Wales, Suffolk and Hertfordshire have been particularly hard hit. Six post offices in TG Jones stores in Essex are going, with Clacton-on-Sea and Brentwood shutting in January after the closure of ones in Basildon, Southend-on-Sea, Harlow and East Ham. Five are closing in the West Midlands and four in Wales.
The Post Office is trying to find new operators in these locations but so far only Stirling has reopened after a TG Jones closure, and a permanent replacement for Ipswich is set to open in November. Temporary branches are to operate after TG Jones closures in Maidenhead and Uxbridge.
Such losses can be devastating to the health of local economies. As the Post Office itself pointed out to a parliamentary inquiry into revitalising high streets, almost a third of small- and medium-sized businesses use their local branch at least once a week and more than half use the network at least once a month. Many small businesses report that losing this access would threaten their viability within months.
After the closure of more than 6,800 bank branches across the UK, the Post Office “plays a critical role in protecting this essential service”, according to thetstate-owned company’s evidence to the inquiry. Post office operators already run 250 banking hubs, which combine services for several banking brands, across the UK.
Mole Meade, a senior member at the CWU, the largest union for postal workers, said the closures would leave some areas as “postal deserts”.
Meade added: “What we are seeing with the TG Jones closures is the continuation of a long-term strategy of cutting costs and chasing profit, with little regard for the communities that depend on post office services.
“The CWU believes the Post Office should be focused on protecting and expanding access to services, not presiding over a continued reduction of the network.”
The Post Office said: “We fully recognise the challenging trading conditions that TG Jones and many other high street retailers are facing at the moment. We proactively sought expressions of interest from our postmasters and partners to take on post offices within TG Jones stores that may close as a result of their restructuring plan or any decisions taken by landlords.
“There is interest in taking on every location where it has been confirmed that a post office within a TG Jones store will close. In some locations there are over 40 applications from our postmasters who recognise the significant footfall operating a post office brings to their store … We’re committed to replacing every branch within a TG Jones store that closes and are working to progress applications as quickly as possible.”
The state-owned Post Office – which is still reeling from the Horizon IT scandal – announced the closure of more than 100 branches in late 2024.
WH Smith travel stores in railway stations, hospitals and airports were not part of the Modella deal and remain owned by its original stock market-listed parent company.
TG Jones was approached for comment.
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